You may be surprised to learn that "destitute" is related to words like "statue," "statute," and even "statistics." The Latin word status, meaning "position" or "state," is the source of these and other English words. Some terms of this family are directly related to "status," while others come to English through "statuere," a Latin derivative of "status" that means "to set up." "Destitute" came from "destituere" ("to abandon" or "to deprive"), a joining of "statuere" and the prefix de- ("from, down, away"). "Statuere" also gave us "constitute," "institute," and "restitution," among other similar-sounding words.
His business failures left him destitute. many families were left destitute by the horrible fire
Recent Examples on the WebThe trauma and poverty that followed nearly left Nellie destitute, unable to pursue a career in law that her father once supported. Samantha Laine Perfas, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2022 When her financially destitute father (Fleabag's Andrew Scott) attempts to marry her off to a wealthy suitor, Birdy puts up a fight, challenging her parents and the norms of the society in which she's raised. Nigel Smith, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2022 Women, boys, and girls, many as young as twelve, were raped by MINUSTAH peacekeepers, some of whom left behind unacknowledged and destitute offspring. Edwidge Danticat, The New Yorker, 5 July 2022 Today, 44 percent of Mexicans — nearly 56 million people — are destitute, according to the most recent government data available.New York Times, 18 July 2022 At that time, resources in Europe were scarce, and people were destitute. A.j. Baime, WSJ, 30 July 2022 An African City was part of that vanguard of media counteracting this narrative that Africa is a place that needs aid, where everyone’s destitute, or whatever. Kathleen Anaza, Vogue, 24 July 2022 Local officials who deal directly with the unclaimed, including Meredith Buck, the coroner in Bucks County, Pa., said people who end up this way are not all destitute. Mary Jordan, Washington Post, 2 July 2022 How much will disappear from the bank account before Manny is left destitute? Carolyn Rosenblatt, Forbes, 15 June 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English, from Latin destitutus, past participle of destituere to abandon, deprive, from de- + statuere to set up — more at statute